There are activities appropriate forchildrenof all ages, and other eventsjust for adults. There are also amazing autumn-themed events, likeHarvest Glowwhich is new indoor, extremely popular and family-friendly attraction in Langley.

Halloweenin Vancouver

Halloween highlights in the Lower Mainland include especially frightening things like the PNE’s Fright Nights, but also other great fun stuff like dressing up at work and trick-or-treating with children around the neighbourhood.

Halloween happenings that take place in Metro Vancouver most years include the following:

Ongoing Haunted and Autumn-themed Attractions

Metro Vancouver is home to numerous Halloween and autumn-themed attractions that run for multiple days leading up to Halloween. Below are some of the main ones.

Harvest Glow– an exciting new attraction with pumpkins, glowing illuminations and autumn-themed things to see and do at Milner Village Garden Centre at 6690 216th Street in Langley. It’s not so much a “Halloween” event, or at all scary, but it is a wonderful new and family-friendly seasonal attraction. (September 27 to October 31, 2018).

Burnaby’s Haunted Village– although free in the summer, admission atBurnaby Villageduring this family-friendly event is about $14 for adults, seniors and youth, and $9 for children ages 2 to 12. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, live entertainment and free carousel rides (which normally cost a couple of dollars). Open on the last few days of October between 6:00 and 9:00 pm.

Fright Nights– Playland’s annual Halloween celebrations take place at the PNE grounds at 2901 East Hastings Street and feature half a dozen haunted houses and over a dozen rides. Tickets in recent years have ranged from about $25 to $45 for general admission at the gate depending on the date, or slightly cheaper if purchased online or at 7-11 stores. Admission with Rapid Pass, which helps you skip the main lineups, likely costs between around $65 and $105. In 2018 Fright Nights is open at 7 pm most days from October 5th to 31st.

Fright Nights at the PNE

FlyOver Canada at Halloween– the popular multi-dimensional theatre attraction at Canada Place gets decorated and its shows have a Halloween theme from mid-October until Halloween.

Potter’s House of Horrors– two exceptional haunted houses in Surrey run for most of October. Potter’s House of Horror’s is open every day in October 2018 beginning on October 5th except for Thanksgiving Monday.

Halloween Spooktacular– Halloween activities at Britannia Mine between West Vancouver and Squamish on the last couple of weekends in October.

VanDusen Glow in the Garden– lit-up carved pumpkins and Halloween activities at VanDusen Garden at night during the last week of October. In 2018 the event has a Hänsel and Gretel theme and runs from October 19th until the 31st.

Halloween Walking Tours

An interesting and entertaining way to enjoy the Halloween season is by taking a guided tour. There are some great walking tours to choose from, including the following:

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours– a selection of exceptional and highly recommended guided tours each led by a professional actor. Perfect ones for Halloween include the Lost Souls of Gastown, Forbidden Tour and Secrets of Stanley Park. See below for details about each.

The Lost Souls of Gastowntours are about 1 km in length and include stories about smallpox, fire and murder. They run every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, and daily at the same time from October 16th until the 31st. The tours start at Cathedral Square (at the corner of Richards and Dunsmuir) and end at Maple Tree Square inGastown.

The Forbidden Toursgo through Victory Square,ChinatownandGastown, and they involve tales about opium dens, crime, bootlegging and corruption from days long ago. These tours take place at 7 o’clock every night in October and they are also about 1 km in length.

The Secrets of Stanley Parktours explore world-famousStanley Park, including its seawall and paths through the forest. They take place on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday afternoons at 2:00 pm and involve stories about Deadman’s Island, cemeteries and crime scenes.

The Lower Mainland is home to a couple of miniature train attractions that go all out at Halloween. Both offer fairly tame tours for little kids in the afternoons and early evenings, but then really ramp things up for youth and young adults at night.

Stanley Park Ghost Train – family-friendly miniature train rides with a Halloween theme. In 2018 the train runs every day from October 11th until Halloween.

Bear Creek Halloween Trains– child-friendlyHalloween Pumpkin Expressminiature train rides in Surrey are from 10 am until 4:30 pm from October 6th until the 31st in 2018. The cost is about $11. TheHaunted Forest Scream Trainis at the same place, costs about $2 more, runs from 6:30 to 10 pm (but starting a week or so later than thePumpkin Express) and includes additional frightening stuff.

Special Halloween Events

Metro Vancouver is home to numerous attractions, like miniature trains andhaunted houses, that run for either most of the month or at least the last few days of October. In addition to the “attractions” though, there are also a number of special one-day events, including the following:

Drive-in Halloween Movies– River District Vancouver hosts two free drive-in movies on each of the last two Saturdays before Halloween in 2018. On October 20th the films areHotel TransylvaniaandStrangers. On October 27th they areFrankenweenieandIT. The shows are free, but you need to reserve your spot in advance.

Thrill the World Vancouver– a short zombie dance event in Vancouver’s Olympic Village most years on the last Saturday afternoon in October, althoughnot taking place in 2018. Instead, this year, there is a similar event on Friday, October 27th, at Surrey’s City Hall Atrium. ClickThrill the World Surreyfor details.

Parade of Lost Souls– an annual grassroots parade event where the location isn’t revealed until midnight on the Friday before Halloween (although one can assume it’ll be somewhere in the Commercial Drive neighbourhood). The parade takes place on the last Saturday of the month from around 7 to 10 pm. Donations of $5 are encouraged to help support the event. A Lost Souls After-Party also takes place from around 9 pm to 2 am for which ticket prices range from about $20 to $30 depending on when you get them.

Night for All Souls– free Halloween-type activities in the evening at Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery on Saturday, October 27th in 2018.

Halloween Fireworks– music, kids’ activities, fire juggling, a magic show and fireworks at Minoru Park at 7191 Granville Avenue in Richmond on October 31st in the evening (Free).

Celebrate the Night– an evening of family-friendly activities and fireworks at Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge on Sunday October 28th in 2018.

Vancouver Halloween Parade– a fun family-friendly parade between Drake and Smithe, along Howe Street and Granville on a Sunday in early or mid-October starting at 11 am. In 2018 the parade is on Sunday, October 7th.